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Class
PSV209
Deciphering
The Wisdom of
your Dreams
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| Dr.
Marcia Emery, Instructor |
The
dream is an invaluable commentator and illuminator of
life. Listen to the wisdom of the dream. Carl Jung
The
Relationship Between Intuition and
Dreams
The
intuitive mind "invents" while you dream.
Thomas Edison used to keep a pencil and paper on his
bedstand and would write down ideas that came to him
while he was sleeping. Medeleev saw the periodic table
of elements roll out for him in a dream. Physicist Neils
Bohr visualized atomic structure when dreaming about
the sun and planets. Nobel Prize winner Otto Loewi discovered
proof of the chemical mediation of nerve impulses in
a dream.
You
can now go into your intuitive kit and extract dreamwork
as another tool for activating your intuition. The information
in this chapter will show you how to honor the wisdom
of the dream! There are three goals in this chapter:
First, to discover how to recall your dreams. Second,
to learn how to interpret your dreams intuitively. Third,
to learn more about dreams "that come true,"
which are called precognitive dreams.
For
many people, the intuitive gateway is opened through
their dreams. That is why it is inconceivable to talk
about intuition and not mention dreamwork. A dream can
be compared to an inner intuitive advisor that comes
during the quiet of the night, while you are taking
a nap, or even while you daydream. When faced with a
problem, have you ever said, "I have to sleep on
it!" For example, if you have to choose between
two compelling candidates for a managerial position,
the dream advisor might show you shaking the hand of
the "right candidate".
Many
people struggle to understand the meaning of a dream.
Your intuition can be used to clarify the meaning of
your dreams. When your intuitive mind merges with the
dreaming mind, it is easier to capture the elusive "Ah'ha!"
about any puzzling facet of the dream. One night, for
example, I dreamed I was watching someone being held
up at gunpoint. Though I awoke surprised, my intuitive
mind quickly signaled that an anticipated contract was
being "held up."
Intuitive
resolutions can come through dreams. Over the years,
I have noticed how people significantly strengthen their
intuitive abilities after they become involved in dreamwork.
Your
intuition can use a dream to provide a preview of upcoming
events. After hearing from an old friend in the dream,
I received a letter from an "old friend" I
hadn't heard from in some time. Intuitive dreams that
go forward in time prepare you for upcoming events are
called precognitive dreams. A dream showing you in a
car with failing brakes may be warning you to get the
car fixed.
My
favorite example of a well-known discovery resulting
from a dream is the story of Elias Howe and the sewing
machine. Howe was working hard for weeks on his new
invention, trying to resolve one last detail. He couldn't
figure out how to thread the needle and still have the
top attached to the machine. After working long and
hard one night, he fell into an exhausted sleep. In
his dream, a cannibal captured him and told him he had
to perfect the sewing machine within 24 hours or be
eaten. As the cannibals marched around, he noticed that
the spear held by the cannibal chief had a hole in the
point. Suddenly awake, he had the long-sought-after
solution. He knew that putting the hole in the sewing
machine needle at the bottom near the point, instead
of at the top, was the right answer.
Some
Fascinating Facts About Dreams
you
might be interested in these facts and figures about
dreams before we go on to explore the role of intuition
and dreams. Sigmund Freud said that "dreams are
the royal road to the unconscious" (for which we
are using the word subconscious). your dreaming mind,
or subconscious, registers all the sights and sounds
you encounter during your waking hours.
Some
of these impressions you may be aware of while most
are recorded in the subconscious without your awareness.
The intuitive mind has access to all this information
stored in your subconscious communicates with your conscious
mind by sending a message through the dream.
- Dreams
are useful in learning more about the dreamer's
feelings, thoughts, behaviors, motives, and values.
- Most
remembered dreams occur during a phase of sleep
called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs
about every 90 minutes, lasting 10 minutes just
after the onset of sleep and lasting about 45 minutes
in the last period just before awakening.
- Most
dreams are in color, although people may not be
aware of it.
- Nightmares
can be caused by stress, traumatic experiences,
emotional difficulties, drugs or medication, or
illness.
- We
dream approximately 20% of the time we spend in
sleep.
- We
dream for a variety of reasons.
- A
guidance dream may give you an insight into a puzzling
relationship.
- Problem-solving
dreams can often show you perfectly clear solutions
to seemingly insolvable problems you struggle with
when you are awake.
- With
self-help guide and self-knowledge dreams, you can
become your own teacher, counselor, or guide to
make any learning experience easier.
I
encourage you to explore more about this area and retrieve
information about the vast experimentation and points
of view within this "field of dreams." The
more you delve, the more you will discover fascinating
dream facts. This chapter is not intended to take the
place of a dream course but is to "whet your appetite"
for dreams.
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